First Lady To Announce 2001 Program April 23rd at Susquehanna Township High School

(Harrisburg) - First Lady Michele M. Ridge, Honorary Chair of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, will join PBCC President Pat Halpin-Murphy, the Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation and nearly 40 student athletes from Susquehanna Township's girls' track team and Central Dauphin East's girls' softball team and their mothers to kick off the Mother's Day Mammograms® program, Monday, April 23rd at 11:00 a.m. in the Keiser Fearen Library Media Center, Susquehanna Township High School, 3500 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg. The public is invited to attend.

Mother's Day Mammograms®, founded by Charlotte Asherman, PBCC Executive Director, is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition and the Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The program connects uninsured and underinsured women, aged 40 and over, with healthcare facilities across the state who provide free screening mammograms. More than 25,000 women have been referred for free and low-cost mammograms in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. Information on the program is available at all Pennsylvania Rite Aid drugstores through May 25, 2001.

First Lady Michele Ridge will join Lauren Pringle and Emily Roumm, Co-captains of the Susquehanna High School Girls Track Team, to encourage young women to take an active role in their mothers' health. "Governor Ridge and I encourage daughters everywhere to give their mothers a potentially life-saving gift-- a mammogram for Mother's Day. Breast cancer is a family health issue and we know that by working together we can save lives," said Mrs. Ridge.

"Mother's Day Mammograms® enables thousands of women to take good care of their health," said Pat Halpin-Murphy, President of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. "The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition encourages every person to ask the special women in their lives to take advantage of the free mammograms available from participating healthcare facilities statewide. Pick up your free Mother's Day Mamograms® brochure at any Rite Aid store, because mammograms save lives!"

Joining Mrs. Ridge and Pat Halpin-Murphy at Susquehanna Township High School are Michael Podgurski, from the Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation and Chairman, Pennsylvania Board of Pharmacy; Robert S. Zimmerman, Secretary of Health; and Dr. Robert Muscalus, Pennsylvania Physician General.

Mother's Day Mammograms® is designed for women aged 40 and older who meet income and insurance guidelines. Interested women can determine eligibility by calling a toll-free number, 1-888-RITE-NOW (1-888-748-3669) through May 25, 2001.

Free mammograms are provided this year through a unique public-private partnership that includes:

The Pennsylvania Department of Health's HealthyWoman Project and the following participating healthcare facilities:

The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, founded in 1993, is a non-profit organization. It serves each of the state's 67 counties through a network of County Captains, Regional Vice Presidents and a statewide Board of Directors. Pennsylvania has the fourth highest rate of breast cancer in the United States. This year nearly 12,000 Pennsylvania women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. More than 2,300 will lose their lives to the disease. The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition's mission is to find a cure for breast cancer and to improve the quality of breast cancer education, research and outreach in the state.

The Rite Aid Women's Health Foundation is a non-profit, charitable foundation, sponsored by Rite Aid Corporation.

For more information on Mother's Day Mammograms®, pick up a brochure at any Rite Aid store or contact the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition at 1-800-377-8828.